The present invention relates to an insertion member and a method of use thereof, and more particularly to its use in the insertion of a flap into a tubular opening.
Disposable paper hats are widely worn by staff in the food retail trade. One such hat, which is well-known and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,055,857, comprises a first paper member in the form of a strip which is arranged to be shaped generally into a circle to fit around the head. A second paper member in the form of a sheet of thinner material is connected to the inner circumference of the first paper member to cover the top of the head. The strip formed by the first paper member is actually of double thickness and comprises a flattened tube.
During assembly of the hat, one necessary step is to insert one end of the flattened tube into the other. At present, although the other manufacturing steps are performed automatically, this step is performed manually.
It is first necessary to open one of the ends of the flattened tube; this is generally done by blowing on it. The other (still flat) end of the tube is then inserted into the opened end; this is a difficult operation since the two ends are of the same size. Also moving the flat end inside the open end meets with a certain frictional resistance. Accordingly this step is time-consuming and involves expensive labor costs.